Etymology

motif

M3O1T1I1F4

Today it means: A recurring or dominant element; an artistic theme. Full definition →

French motif
Ask AI about its historyChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

The story

  1. French · borrowed frommotif
  2. English todaymotif

From French motif (1848), with the meaning of "main idea or theme". Doublet of motive.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.